Defensive Driving in Iowa: Convictions, Suspensions and Driver Improvement

First, the hard truth about traffic school

There is no statewide Iowa path from a class to a dismissed ticket, at least none we could locate. In the state's laws and DOT rules, the driver improvement program exists to replace a suspension the DOT is already planning. It is not designed to clean a ticket off your history.

Local options, if any, live with the clerk and the prosecutor whose names appear on your ticket, so call them. If a private company advertises that its course will get an Iowa ticket thrown out, be wary, and ask the court to confirm in writing before you rely on it.

Before your court date: the money side

The Judicial Branch explains that your fine is owed by the court date shown on the ticket. Paying it early is your guilty plea. You can pay on the Judicial Branch website, by calling 515-348-4788, by mailing the clerk, or at the courthouse. Planning to dispute it? Then go to court on that date rather than paying.

Fines are scheduled in Iowa Code 805.8A. The speeding base fine climbs by bracket: $30 at 5 mph over or less, $55 in the 6 to 10 range, $105 for 11 to 15, $120 for 16 to 20, and above 20 over, $135 plus another $5 for every extra mph. Expect surcharges and court costs on top of that.

Example: clocked 23 over? The base is $135 plus $15 for the three extra miles per hour, so $150 before anything is added.

Ignoring a fine turns it into a license problem. The clerk sends a notice, and once 60 days pass the debt is reported to the DOT, which suspends you until you pay. The courts put the usual timing at about 75 days overdue. Signing a payment plan with the county attorney or the Department of Revenue, under Iowa Code 321.210B, is a way back to a valid license.

How Iowa keeps score without points

No points are ever assigned. Instead, Iowa Code 321.210 and the DOT's rule at 761 IAC 615.6 let the DOT suspend a habitual violator: someone convicted of three or more moving violations committed inside a single 12 month window.

Some tickets are not counted against you. These include an equipment ticket you repair within 72 hours and prove to the DOT, seat belt and child seat tickets, parking tickets, and, in any 12 months, the first two speeding tickets in a 35 to 55 mph zone for going no more than 10 over.

Example: you get a 9 over ticket on a 45 mph road in February and another 7 over on a 55 mph highway in August. Neither counts toward the three. A third such ticket that year would.

If you hit three: suspension lengths

The more convictions in the 12 months, the longer the minimum suspension, though a DOT hearing officer can shorten it when there are mitigating circumstances. Either way, the DOT must give you 30 days' notice first.

Crashes have a parallel rule for drivers the DOT considers habitually reckless or negligent. Three crashes you contributed to in a year, or three of crashes and convictions combined, can mean 60 days or longer off the road.

• 3 convictions: at least 90 days.
• 4 convictions: at least 120 days.
• 5 convictions: at least 150 days.
• 6 convictions: at least 180 days.
• 7 or more: at least one year.

What the driver improvement program is

The DOT's authority comes from 761 IAC 615.27, which lets it order certain drivers to complete an approved program, paid for by the driver, instead of serving a suspension. It is not something you can volunteer for to escape a suspension. The DOT makes the offer, and the swap is available no more than once every two years.

If you live near the border or are out of state, you may ask to attend an approved program elsewhere; the DOT can say yes if it has approved that curriculum. The rule gives no hours or price. The DOT itself describes the Driver Improvement Program as eight hours long and taught at Iowa community colleges, so ask the college that reaches out for dates and the fee.

The rule lists who may be required to attend:

• Drivers who qualify as habitual violators.
• Anyone convicted of driving 25 to 29 mph above the limit.
• Drivers whose license is on track for suspension under Iowa Code 321.210C.
• First offenders under the school bus passing law, Iowa Code 321.372(3).

After the program: your probation year

Passing the class starts a 12 month probation right away under the same rule. Pick up even one moving violation conviction during that year and the DOT can impose the suspension you originally faced.

Missing the class, or not passing it, has the same result: the full original suspension. When it ends, getting the license back costs $20, per Iowa Code 321.191.

If the driver is your teen

Teen drivers under the graduated law, whether on a permit, an intermediate license or a full license issued under it, have a separate track. A conviction for a moving violation, or any crash, while on a permit or intermediate license sends the case to remedial driver improvement. The DOT's response can be as light as a warning letter or as heavy as a suspension, with steps in between such as added restrictions, a safety meeting, a class, or a retest.

Those suspensions run 30 days minimum for the first violation, 60 for the second, 90 for the third and beyond, and there is no restricted work license during them. The whole remedial system stops applying on the 18th birthday.

Will a voluntary course lower your insurance?

Iowa does not force insurers to give a discount for a defensive driving course you take on your own, as far as we found in the statutes and DOT rules, and that includes drivers over 55. Some insurers reward a course anyway. Call yours, ask which courses qualify, and ask how many years the discount lasts.

Keep the limits in mind. A course you choose to take leaves your Iowa record and your conviction tally exactly as they were. What you gain is better habits and maybe a cheaper policy.

What does not work in Iowa

Since there is no point credit to earn, a self-chosen online class does not lower your count of convictions. It also cannot stand in for the DOT program, unless the DOT both approved that program and ordered you to take it.

Before paying, ask the clerk whether payment will be entered as a conviction in your case. Sitting at two moving violations in the past year? Drive as though the third would cost you the license, because it might, and talk to the court well before your appearance date.